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Greetings, relatives.
A lot of news out there. Thanks for stopping by ICT’s digital platform.
Each day we do our best to gather the latest news for you. Remember to scroll to the bottom to see what’s popping out to us on social media and what we’re reading.
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The Haudenosaunee Nationals’ women and men lacrosse teams have been outspoken about competing under their own flag at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and Wednesday they will get support from a top world leader, President Joe Biden.
During his address to hundreds of Indigenous leaders at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit, Biden will express his support for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to field their own team and compete under their own flag.
At the summit, Biden will also announce “far-ranging executive order that really starts with that value, which is our nation-to-nation relationship is about respect,” Tom Perez, senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, told ICT.
The Biden administration will be advocating for a narrowly-scoped exception. READ MORE — Pauly Denetclaw, ICT
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EPA Regional Administrator Dr. Eartha Nance congratulated 5 Oklahoma tribal nations on their $8mil+ grant from the EPA by saying the tribes are the “original stewards of their land.”
“(They) remain strong protectors of their resources and communities,” she said.
The grant is for recycling infrastructure projects as part of America Recycles Day that occurred Nov. 15, which is also the two year anniversaries of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and EPA’s National Recycling Strategy.
The Cherokee Nation, Modoc Nation, Muscogee Creek Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians and Wyandotte Nation received a total of $6,092,098 in Solid Waste Infrastructure. The United Keetoowah Band received $2,000,000 in both Recycling Education and Outreach Grants.
These grants are issued under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $275 million total from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2026. The grants are authorized under the largest investment in recycling in 30 years–the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.
The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants (SWIFR) grants are intended for several projects that the EPA has selected.
The Cherokee Nation plans to develop infrastructure to divert brush, miscellaneous vegetation and wood waste from tribally owned landfill, recycling the material for beneficial use.
The Murdoc Nation intends to purchase new equipment, hire new employees and acquire land for a new waste management facility.
The Muscogee Nation aims to expand their Solid Waste Post-Consumer Materials Management Program by purchasing new solid waste transportation equipment.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians is hoping to build a recycling center in a rural underserved area.
The Wyandotte Nation will expand their already existingLost Creek Recycling Center.
The United Keetoowah Band plans to use the funds for informing and educating their tribal members about recycling opportunities. — Felix Clary, ICT + Tulsa World
DENVER – Denver city officials said Monday they would not put back up a statue of Christopher Columbus that was torn down by protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
The fate of the monument – and another of frontiersman Kit Carson that the city pro-actively removed after the Columbus monument was toppled – had been in limbo for years.
“The City and County of Denver will not be reinstalling the ‘Christopher Columbus’ sculpture by William Joseph nor the Pioneer Fountain piece depicting Kit Carson by Frederick MacMonnies,” Tariana Navas-Nieves, the director of cultural affairs for Denver Arts & Venues, wrote Monday to members of the Denver American Indian Commission. “The City of Denver acknowledges the pain caused by these pieces, symbols of European colonizers that exploited the lands and peoples in the Americas, and the destructive effects of the colonial era passed down through generations still felt today.”
The news was welcomed by Commission Co-Chair Raven Payment, Ojibwe descent, although with some mixed feelings. Earlier this fall at a focus meeting with tribal elders, city representatives asked elders if it were acceptable to put the statues back up. READ MORE — Stewart Huntington, ICT
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Western Australia apologizes for worker abuse
Around the world: Western Australia’s parliament apologizes for long-standing exploitation of Aboriginal workers, Finland extends the work of its Sami Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and a Māori leader guides intergenerational healing at the United Nations COP28 summit
AUSTRALIA: WA parliament agrees to pay reparations
Western Australia’s parliament issued an historic apology and agreed to reimburse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers who were exploited between 1936 and 1972 under a system that some leaders compared to “slavery,” National Indigenous Times reported on Nov. 28.
The apology acknowledged decades of withheld wages and payments of up to $165 million to the workers – mostly stockmen – or their surviving family members, according to Tony Buti, the minister of Aboriginal affairs.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook introduced the motion, saying it “doesn’t change what happened,” but is a crucial step that brings closure to what he called a “shameful” part of Western Australia’s history. READ MORE — Deusdedit Ruhangariyo, Special to ICT
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was elected the chair of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. She was already the highest-ranking elected Native woman in the country and is now believed to be the first Native woman to lead a national party committee.
Wednesday is the start of the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The two-day in-person event is a chance for leaders from more than 500 tribal nations to speak directly with high level federal officials. ICT regular contributor Holly Cook Macarro joins ICT from Washington, D.C.
As we just heard, the White House Tribal Leaders Summit is a direct dialogue between elected tribal leaders with members of the cabinet and other government agencies. Often missing from the story is both the history and context. ICT’s Mark Trahant takes us on a journey.
WATCH
Looking to shop from Indigenous artists and small businesses this holiday season? Here’s a guide to where you can find these products online.
Also, consider buying something from local artists, your auntie’s food stand or small businesses on social media.
If you would like to send other Indigenous businesses, please send the store name and link to kalle@ictnews.org. READ MORE — ICT
What’s trending on social media:
- More information about boarding schools out in January: Second volume of US Department of the Interior investigation will detail Indigenous children who attended the schools, burial sites, and schools’ affiliations with religious organizations
- Thousands protest Indigenous policies of New Zealand government: Protesters demonstrated outside Parliament against what they described as the ‘anti-Maori’ policies of the newly elected conservative-led coalition government
- Peruvian rainforest defender shot dead in river attack: ‘The death of Quinto Inuma highlights the impunity that prevails in cases of environmental crimes and violations of Indigenous peoples’ rights’
- National Lacrosse League and Marvel team up to promote lacrosse’s legendary origin story
- CEO that sued Bacone may bid on the school in upcoming auction
- Kevin McCarthy was booted as House speaker two months ago. Now he’s leaving Congress by year’s end
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. dalton@ictnews.org.
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